Man gets 2 years in robbery of Chase bank

An Upper Arlington man was sentenced yesterday to two years in prison for robbing a Short North bank last year.

An Upper Arlington man was sentenced yesterday to two years in prison for robbing a Short North bank last year.

Abdalla Hashim Thrower, 32, of North Star Road, pleaded guilty on Feb.?8 to one count of robbery for the Aug.?9 crime at Chase Bank at 677 N. High St.

Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Guy Reece imposed the sentence, recommended by the prosecution and defense, and ordered Thrower to pay $510 in restitution to the bank.

Thrower entered the bank and passed a note to a teller demanding money. He was arrested two weeks later after police linked him to the crime through fingerprints.

It was the first criminal conviction for Thrower, who told the judge that he was having medical problems and committed the robbery “more as a cry for help than anything else.”

Reece said Thrower will be eligible for early release.

— John Futty

jfutty@dispatch.com

CINCINNATI

Husted backs GOP panelists in ballot feud

Ohio’s elections chief has sided with fellow Republicans in breaking a tie vote over counting ballots in a disputed 2010 juvenile court election.

Secretary of State Jon Husted agreed yesterday that the Hamilton County Board of Elections in southwestern Ohio should appeal a Feb. 8 court order requiring it to count hundreds of provisional ballots.

The Republican in the race holds a 23-vote lead over the Democrat, and the board’s Democrats want the disputed votes tallied. The board’s two Republicans say the ballots aren’t eligible.

A federal judge ordered the ballots counted. She said poll-worker error caused votes to be cast in the wrong precincts even though voters were at the right polling location.

— Associated Press

DAYTON

Few counties use funds to pursue sex offenders

Ohio’s attorney general says only 13 of Ohio’s 88 counties have used federal funds available for bringing back convicted sex offenders who flee the state without informing authorities.

Attorney General Mike DeWine is urging more counties to use money from a program he set up in April. It reimburses counties for the cost of bringing convicted sex offenders back when they flee to avoid laws requiring them to regularly register with authorities. DeWine said he is concerned that only 22 convicted sex offenders have been brought back under the program.

Only $30,000 of the $100,000 available when the program started has been used.

DeWine recently identified more than 100 Ohio offenders being sought out of state.